------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-4: PRELIMINARY STRATEGIES
------------------------------------------------------
After nearly four more hours of hiking, Cid and the others finally
reached the end of the natural cave tunnels and the beginning of the two
mile stretch of manmade tunnel that led into the heart of Scarlet's
weapons plant. The tunnel section was very easy going compared to the
caverns, despite the security checkpoints. When they reached the end of
the tunnel, they found Vincent waiting for them, his reddish eyes
glittering in the subdued lighting. He said nothing, but they could all
sense his impatience. Beyond that small, yet massive steel hatchway was
the weapon facility, their captured friends... and Hojo.
A final series of codes and the door opened soundlessly into the
back of a medium-sized storage room. Yuffie slithered around the crates
and was about to open the other door in the room when a sharp female
voice hissed, "Get back in here!"
The ninja girl jumped and clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle
a shriek of surprise. They all whirled to see Scarlet peering out of an
large air duct, shotgun in hand. Under other circumstances, it would
have been a hilarious sight. Scarlet was still dressed in the same
tasteless, sequined evening gown that she had been wearing during her
earlier video transmission to Reeve. However, on her feet was a pair of
sturdy combat boots that were low in style, but high in functionality.
"Damn it! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Cid growled in a low
voice.
Scarlet merely sniffed and said, "What took you so long? I've been
keeping Hojo busy by screwing around with the computer system, but I was
running out of things to do."
Tifa said angrily, "We would have been here sooner if it wasn't for
your stupid security! And what kind of idiot designs an escape route
twenty-two MILES long?"
Scarlet curled her lip in contempt. "Well, it got you in here
undetected, didn't it?"
"Why you...!"
Red growled, "We don't have time to waste arguing. Scarlet, do you
know where Cloud and Reno are being held?"
"I know where Reno's stashed. He's fine, just really pissed off.
Your friend Cloud's been dragged off to one of the high security labs.
I know which lab but I've got no idea what's going on inside." She
shrugged.
"So what's the plan?" muttered Barret.
Cid said, "It's pretty simple. Rude, Elena, and Yuffie will go grab
Reno. The rest of us go after Cloud."
Vincent said evenly, "What about Hojo?"
"And Sephiroth?" Yuffie added uneasily.
Red shook his head. "Let's worry about rescuing our friends first.
The Turks will catch up with us after freeing Reno. Once we're all
together, we'll assess Reno's and Cloud's condition. If they are all
right or if all they need is some magical healing, we can then try to
find out what Hojo's up to and do our best to stop him." The beast
hesitated, then continued, "If there's something wrong with Cloud that
can't be easily remedied, then we'll need to decide how best to
distribute our forces."
Cid said, "All right, Scarlet. Where do we need to go and what's
the fastest way there?"
Scarlet hauled a small backpack out of the air vent and rummaged
around. She pulled out a sheet of paper and spread it on a nearby
crate.
"Okay, this is a floor plan of the lab level. Reno's being kept
here." With a long, dagger-like fingernail, she jabbed at a green 'X'
on the map. "He's locked in a cell, but there are no guards as far as I
know. Cloud was dragged off to THIS lab." Scarlet gestured to an large
area bordered in red. "That's the same place where Hojo installed a
whole bunch of his special equipment." She folded the map and tossed it
over to Rude.
Cait Sith said, "You mentioned something about a lot of activity
going on in the lowermost levels?"
Scarlet bit her painted lips, then reluctantly said, "Yes. Hojo's
creature goons have stopped bringing in the fresh bodies, but the
computers show that literally tons of Mako are being pumped into that
area, but nothing's coming out. Listen, guys, I agreed to help you get
your buddies out of here. I certainly didn't sign on to lead a strike
team into Hojo's pet project, okay. I just want to get the hell out of
this place alive!"
"You stupid bitch! Don't you realize that if we don't stop
Hojo...!" bellowed Barret.
"SHHHHHH!!!" several people anxiously hissed.
Cid ground his teeth. "We can't do anything about it now. With
that horde of Hojo's creatures crawling around, we can't afford to split
up too much. C'mon, guys! Time's a-wasting."
Examining their copy of the floor plan, Elena said, "Our target is
just down the hall. We'll see you later."
Red nodded. "Good luck. We'll be waiting for you or meet you on
the way. Do you need any more help?" The beast glanced at Vincent.
The blond Turk shook her head. "No. I think we're okay."
Tifa whispered to Yuffie, "You okay about this? Going off with the
Turks by yourself?"
The ninja girl grinned and whispered back, "Hey, it's cool. You
just worry about Cloud."
Scarlet called out to Elena. "Oh, by the way, you might need this,"
and tossed something to Rude. He caught it and stared in confusion at
the familiar pair of men's shoes dangling from his hand.
"...."
Rude then silently handed the shoes to Elena who muttered irritably,
"What the hell are those for?"
Scarlet smirked as she turned away. "You're a smart girl. Figure
it out."
"C'mon, guys!" Yuffie peeked out into the hallway, then disappeared
through the door, followed by the Turks.
A moment later, the storeroom was deserted as Cid and his party, led
by Scarlet, headed toward Hojo's new workshop.
------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-5: LIBERATION
------------------------------------------------------
When the door to the lab burst open, the startled Reno saw Yuffie
standing in the doorway and jumped to his feet, forgetting that he
wasn't wearing a single stitch of clothing. The young ninja girl
blushed and whistled with distinct appreciation.
"Oh man, what a bod!"
Before Reno could think of a suitably sarcastic reply, Elena ran in,
snapping, "Girl, keep your mind on business! What the hell are you
staring...." The blond then noticed Reno standing in a transparent
cell, stark naked.
"....at?" Elena blinked, then stared in mild astonishment.
"Reno!?"
Normally, the red-haired Turk probably would have enjoyed the idea
of having two pretty females ogling him. However, he was in no mood for
fun and games. Reno flung up his hands and screamed, "Will you two stop
admiring the view and GET ME HELL OUT OF THIS GODDAMN FUCKING CELL!?"
"Oh... right!" Elena shook herself and hurried over to blast the
latch open.
Reno jumped out of the cell and muttered, "Shit, it's cold! I'm
freezing my ass off!"
Yuffie said mischievously, "But it's such a cute ass!"
"First that bitch Scarlet, now the ninja pip-squeak has to make
comments about my anatomy," Reno snarled as he gave Yuffie a deathly
glare. He then whipped around and growled at Elena, "And if YOU say
anything, I'm going hurt you."
Elena flung up her hands in an innocent 'who me?' gesture and
scurried off to locate some clothing for Reno. All she managed to find
was a semi-clean lab coat. Reno was not impressed and said as much.
"Beggars can't be choosers. Here!" the female Turk snapped,
thrusting the garment into his hands. Under her breath, she muttered,
"What a baby!" She then handed him the pair of men's shoes slung over
her shoulder.
"Where the hell are you doing carrying my shoes around?"
Elena grinned and said, "Scarlet gave them to me. She said that we
might need them, but didn't say why."
Reno, who was just about to put the shoes on, froze and suspiciously
double-checked the shoes before warily slipping them on.
"That sly bitch! She knew damn well I was stark naked. If she got
a hold of my friggin' shoes, she damn well could've gotten my clothes as
well! When I get my hands on her...."
He continued to mutter obscenities under his breath as he slipped
the labcoat on. However, his mood immediately improved as Elena started
handing over various pieces of weaponry, including his favorite
Nightstick.
"Where's Rude?"
"Out in the hall, keeping watch. Here," Elena said, handing over
several grenades.
Reno happily noted that the Nightstick was fully charged. After
checking out his weapon, he said, "Now what? If the brat's here, the
others are sure to be here, too."
Yuffie, her cheeks still slightly pink, hastily said, "They're
looking for Cloud. Come on!"
-----------------------------------
Cid and his team came very close to reaching the lab without
incident. But 'close' only counted in horseshoes and hand grenades.
They turned the last corner and skidded to an abrupt halt when they saw
the shambling masses of vegetation guarding the doorway. Ducking back
around the corner, Cid muttered, "Shit! That's blown it! We're going
to have to take those things out."
Red sighed, "So much for the element of surprise. If Hojo's
mentally linked to his creatures, he'll know the instant we destroy
those guards. Scarlet, is there any other way in there?"
"No. It's a sealed laboratory. It's even got its own independent
air handling system. The air ducts in that lab doesn't connect with the
ducts in the rest of the complex."
"Great. Just great."
The red-furred beast said, "I'll try a sleep spell. If that doesn't
work, we'll just have to use brute force and hit them hard."
"Okay. It's your...."
At that moment, an alarm started to bleep and yellow caution lights
started to flash just above the laboratory's doorway.
"Oh, to hell with sneaking around! Red...!" shouted Cid.
The beast was already in the process of toasting the monsters into
charcoal with a fire spell. The group raced down the hall, led by Cid.
"What the hell's that?" Tifa yelled in Scarlet's direction.
"It means someone's initiated some sort of emergency procedure in
the lab!"
"Like what!?"
"How the hell should I know!?" Scarlet snapped angrily.
They skidded to a stop in front of the imposing steel door. Scarlet
hastily punched in her override code just as Reno -- dressed in nothing
but a pair of stylish men's loafers and an oversized labcoat with
pockets bulging with weapons and other implements of destruction --
approached from the opposite end of the hallway, followed by Yuffie and
the other Turks.
Barret stared at Reno's bare legs and smirked.
The red-haired Turk snarled, "Not a damn word, Barret! Not a
fucking word!"
The lab door slowly swung open with a soft whoosh of air. They
charged into the lab and received an very unpleasant surprise.
A badly wounded Cloud wavered unsteadily on his feet... staring eye
to eye with Sephiroth.
"Oh shit...."
------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-6: REUNION REDUX
------------------------------------------------------
Something jolted Cloud back into consciousness. Even before he
forced his eyes open, he knew he was running out of time. He could feel
Sephiroth's presence - that aura of power that always surrounded the man
-- steadily growing in strength.
(How long have I been out? If it's been more than an hour, then I'm
in real trouble....)
One look at the tank confirmed his fears. Sephiroth's new body was
already complete.
(Damn it! No time to waste. I've got to do something NOW, while
he's still helpless and vulnerable. Otherwise....) He didn't want to
think about what might happen if Sephiroth regained consciousness.
Cloud slowly crawled over to a nearby cabinet and used it to haul
himself to his feet, fighting to stay conscious every inch of the way.
Once upright, he glanced around the lab, looking for something suitably
deadly. Unfortunately, the only thing that fit that description was the
Masamune.
Gritting his teeth, Cloud staggered over to the sword, ignoring the
large splotches of blood he left in his wake. He stared at the blade
for a minute or two, trying to gather the courage to pick it up. Cloud
wondered at his own audacity in daring to use Sephiroth's own sword
against him, even as he recoiled from handling the weapon that had slain
Aeris so effortlessly.
But there was nothing else he could use and he didn't have the
strength or the time to look elsewhere for a better weapon. And if
there was one thing known about Masamune, it was that the sword excelled
at killing.
Cloud reached out and picked up the long elegant sword. He wasn't
sure what he was expecting -- perhaps a lethal zap of energy or some
sort of mental attack -- but nothing happened. Masamune simply felt
like a fine, but very awkwardly balanced piece of steel.
But it was also a familiar sort of feeling.
(I've held this weapon before. I know it.)
He shoved that thought aside and slowly made his way over to the
tank, blade in hand. As precious seconds ticked by, he scanned the
nearby control console before finding the switch he was looking for --
the big yellow striped one labeled 'EMERGENCY FLUID DUMP'.
Cloud took a deep breath and punched the button. An alarm started
bleeping and yellow lights began to flash. He ignored them, focusing
every bit of his attention on the tank's contents. At first nothing
happened, then there was a sucking noise like a uncorked bottle. The
glowing green fluid seemed to ripple, then it quickly began to drain
away. As the liquid level sank lower and lower, so did Sephiroth's
body. Cloud tensed anxiously as the body came to rest on the bottom of
the tank, but nothing happened. Sephiroth's eyes remained closed. The
body remained limp and unmoving.
(I think I made it just in time. God, I hope so.)
In less than a minute, the large tank was empty. Gritting his
teeth, Cloud hit the OPEN button. In a swift, silent motion, the tank
walls slid upward and disappeared into the ceiling, leaving Sephiroth's
motionless body sprawled on the damp grating that formed the tank
bottom.
With one hand clutching Masamune and his other arm wrapped around
his torso in a futile effort to slow the bleeding from his stomach
wound, Cloud carefully walked toward the unconscious body. He winced as
he splashed through the few remaining puddles of glowing liquid. The
concentrated Mako in that liquid made his skin burn and brought back
flickers of excruciatingly painful memories.
But even as he came within a few yards, the silver-haired body
twitched.
"No, damn it...," hissed Cloud under his breath. He watched, frozen
in dismay as Sephiroth slowly pulled himself to his hands and knees.
With damp, silvery hair streaming over his face, Cloud's dreaded enemy
began to hack and cough as he struggled to clear the liquid from his
lungs.
Cloud had no sympathy for Sephiroth's discomfort. This was no time
to falter. He clenched his teeth, wrapped both hands around Masamune,
and stepped forward to the attack. As the blood continued to ooze from
the deep wound in his side, Cloud awkwardly hauled the long,
ill-balanced blade of Masamune over his head... then froze.
He couldn't do it.
/ KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW! /
/ WHATAREYOUWAITINGFORYOUFUCKINGIDIOT!!! /
While one part of Cloud was screaming for him to bring the sword
down and cut Sephiroth in half while the bastard was still helpless,
another part of him hesitated. Not because he sensed something wrong,
but because he sensed something... RIGHT.
Even as Cloud stood, paralyzed with conflicting emotions, Sephiroth
suddenly turned his head and stared up at him.
---------------------------
Glowing sky blue eyes stared into glowing ice green eyes.
SANE ice green eyes.
The eyes had the same cool arrogance as they had always had, but the
sinister haze of obsession and madness was no longer present. Something
deep inside in Cloud -- an instinct or feeling that utterly refused to
be denied or quieted -- told him in no uncertain terms that this was NOT
the monster who had nearly destroyed the entire Planet.
THIS was the real Sephiroth.
// You're back. Oh god... Seph.... //
And even as Cloud stared blankly at the man who had been the source
of so much pain and misery for so many people, the subdued sense of
grief and loss that had haunted the young man almost continuously for
nearly a year quietly faded away.
---------------------------
But somewhere in a distant, hidden place, there was no rejoicing.
Something dark and twisted unleashed a maddened howl of fury, rage, and
frustration.
It was a promise of mayhem and destruction to come....
---------------------------
His eyes widened in growing horror as Cloud realized that he was
actually GLAD to see Sephiroth alive again. So much of the quiet but
persistent sadness that had haunted him this past year.... He had
thought it had all been for Aeris.
Wrong.
It has been for Sephiroth all along.
(No...no, it can't be. It CAN'T!!! How could I possibly... after
what he's done to everyone... done to ME... how...!?)
....Fear....
....Elation....
Cloud shuddered as a naked Sephiroth gracefully rose to his feet.
As the other man dragged his long, damp silvery hair back from his face,
those unforgettable, icy green eyes seemed to bore right through Cloud
as they warily assessed him.
Behind Cloud, the door to the lab swung open as Cid and the others
charged into the room. But their presence and shouts went unnoticed by
the two men who stared at each other.
....Rage....
....Joy....
The Masamune in Cloud's hands sank lower and lower as he continued
to gaze at Sephiroth with a stunned expression. The blade finally
slipped from his numb fingers and hit the floor with an almost musical
chime.
....Hatred....
....Friendship... and so much more....
The onslaught of so many conflicting emotions, on top of his
numerous physical injuries, was simply too much for Cloud. Without
fanfare or warning, he silently passed out and collapsed neatly into
Sephiroth's arms.
------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-7: RUDE AWAKENINGS
------------------------------------------------------
Sephiroth felt like he was drowning... a painfully familiar
sensation. He hacked and coughed as he struggled to clear the liquid
clogging his lungs.
(Hojo, damn you....)
He wasn't sure what was going on. All he knew at the moment was
that Hojo had to be responsible somehow. After all, he'd been through
all this before... as a child.
But staring down at the elegant bones of his hand... an adult-sized
hand... he realized that he wasn't a child any more. So how did this
happen? When he had joined SOLDIER, he had sworn to himself that he
would never ever submit to Hojo's authority again.
Never. No more poking and prodding. No more experiments....
So what was he doing naked, shaking, and dripping wet... again?
Fragments of a dream hovered at the corners of his mind... a young
woman's voice... a yellow flower... something lost that had to be found
and reclaimed... but he couldn't quite remember what the dream was
about. All he knew was that it involved something terribly important to
him.
Sephiroth then realized that he was not alone. Someone was standing
over him. He glanced to the side and caught a glimpse of sturdy
military boots and dark blue pants, all freshly soaked with blood.
He took a deep breath, then hauled himself to his feet in one smooth
motion to face the person hovering over him... and found himself staring
into the face of a young man with spiky blond hair and glowing blue eyes
that were wide open in shock. In the young man's upraised hands was his
own sword, Masamune. But before Sephiroth could react to the obvious
threat, the other man slowly lowered the blade before letting it slip
out of his hands to the floor.
With those glowing eyes, Sephiroth knew the young man had to be a
SOLDIER. He seemed familiar -- almost painfully familiar in many ways
-- but it took a few seconds before a name surfaced in his usually
perfect memory.
(Strife. Cloud Strife.)
But Strife wasn't a SOLDIER. Strife was just an ordinary trooper.
In fact, he couldn't remember ever meeting anyone less suited to
becoming a SOLDIER.
As Sephiroth struggled to understand what was happening, he was also
unhappily aware of the howling mob of extremely hostile people
converging on him. Just as he was judging the distance to his sword,
Strife's eyes suddenly closed and he quietly crumpled forward in a dead
faint. An odd impulse made Sephiroth to catch the unconscious young man
instead of stepping aside and callously allowing Strife to land flat on
his face.
(Nibelheim. The last thing I remember clearly is arriving at
Nibelheim. But what happened after that? How did I end up here? What
has Hojo been doing to me?)
His eyes abruptly focused on the belt around Strife's waist.
(What the...?)
He knew that belt. He knew every little nick and scratch on it,
just as he knew every inch of Masamune.
(What is this man doing with Zack's belt?)
Then perhaps the most disturbing question of all.
(And where IS Zack?)
------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-8: THE ONE YOU DON'T SEE....
------------------------------------------------------
Cid and the others all watched as Cloud stood there, Masamune in
hand, confronting an unarmed Sephiroth. But to their mutual dismay,
instead of striking his enemy down while he had the chance, Cloud slowly
lowered the blade before letting it fall to the floor.
"You stupid jerk! What are you doing!" Barret bellowed in fury.
At that moment, Cloud suddenly went limp and collapsed into
Sephiroth's arms.
Red growled in frustration. With Cloud so close to Sephiroth, there
was no way to use their most potent attacks without injuring Cloud as
well. However, they couldn't afford to hesitate, either. If they
allowed Sephiroth to collect his wits, they could all very easily die
for that mistake.
Heedless of her own safety, Tifa charged forward, screaming, "You
bastard! What did you do to him!?"
Sephiroth had been staring down at the blond man in his arms with a
thoughtful expression on his face, but when he heard Tifa's cry, he
lifted his head and coldly surveyed the group confronting him. His eyes
abruptly narrowed. In one smooth motion, he heaved the unconscious
Cloud in Tifa's direction, then dove for the Masamune.
Even as Tifa instinctively caught Cloud's limp, blood-covered body,
Cid shouted, "Shit, somebody stop him before he...!"
But it was too late. With an impressive show of dexterity and
skill, Sephiroth scooped up his sword and started spellcasting in one
fluid movement. Tifa, clutching Cloud to her, prepared herself to be
blasted into oblivion as one of the materia orbs on Masamune began to
glow.
Cid and the others fully expected to get pounded by some massive,
devastating attack. What they got was something else entirely.
Sephiroth did indeed cast a spell, but to everyone's utter shock, it
was NOT an offensive spell. In a blink of an eye, he had slapped a
protective barrier spell not just on himself, but on the entire group.
"What the hell...?" a totally confused Reno muttered.
Vincent was the first to realize that perhaps Sephiroth had seen
something that they hadn't.... Cursing himself for being so easily
distracted, he spun around. Only his lightning swift reflexes enabled
to get off a shot at the monster lunging toward him.
Sephiroth glared furiously at them and snarled, "You fools! Behind
you!"
Red whirled. All his hair bristled on end as he saw the seething
horde of monsters clawing their way through the doorway toward them.
They had been so preoccupied by their confrontation with Sephiroth, none
of them had noticed the monsters creeping up behind them.
"CRAP!" swore Cid as his head swiveled back and forth. It didn't
look good. They were trapped with Hojo's pet monsters on one side and
Sephiroth on the other.
Sephiroth spoke in a low, threatening voice. "Don't just stand
there. If you're not going to fight, then get out of my way and let me
handle them."
Yuffie shrieked at him, "Fight those creatures? Aren't they under
YOUR control!?" But even as she was protesting, she was busily slicing
away at tentacles that were trying to grab her.
Sephiroth glared at the ninja girl. "What makes you think I have
anything to do with them?"
By this time, Red, Cait Sith, Vincent, and the Turks had already
decided on their course of action. They were busily doing their best to
drive back the apparently endless stream of monsters who were determined
to force their way into the laboratory. With Tifa fully occupied with
her attempts to keep Cloud from bleeding to death, that left Barret,
Yuffie, Cid, and Scarlet to worry about Sephiroth.
Yuffie tightened her grip on Conformer and yelled, "Past history,
maybe? Who else pulls crap like this!?"
Sephiroth snapped, "I don't know what you're babbling about, but I
suggest you worry about getting rid of those beasts first."
Cid tightened his grip on Venus Gospel and shouted, "And you expect
us to trust you behind our backs!? Like hell!"
"I could say the same thing. I may also point out that YOU were the
ones screaming for my blood, not the other way around," Sephiroth
retorted sharply.
Elena gasped out, "Hey, you guys, we could really use some help
here! Rude, watch your left! Damn it!" She ejected an empty clip from
her pistol and slammed another just in time to blow the head off some
bizarre snake creature.
"Argh!" Barret gave Sephiroth a final, furious glare before turning
to add his firepower to the fray.
Despite the added presence of the Turks, Red and the others were
barely holding their own in face of the sheer number of attackers. Wave
after wave of monsters clawed, hopped, or slithered over the corpses of
their predecessors in a blind frenzy to reach their prey. But a greater
threat developed as the creatures began to rip at the reinforced doorway
to the lab.
(Shit! If they manage to enlarge that opening, they'll swamp us for
sure!), thought the pilot.
Cid smacked himself on the head and resigned himself to dealing with
the more immediate, if not lesser, evil. He turned to Sephiroth, "You
don't do a damn thing. If you so much as twitch, we'll take you apart!
Got it?"
Sephiroth's only response was a faint smirk accompanied by an
arrogant shrug.
"Yuffie, don't take your eyes off him! And make sure Scarlet
doesn't get any weird ideas!"
"Highwind, you jerk!" huffed the former director of Shinra's weapon
division.
"You just watch your own butt, old man!" the ninja girl snapped.
"Screw you, brat!" the pilot muttered as he turned to help his other
friends.
---------------------------
Red distastefully shook the slimy gore from his mane and considered
their choices. In the tight confines of the building's interior, their
offensive options were limited. And even if they didn't have to worry
about getting caught in the backlash of a spell or summoning, they would
probably lose what little structural protection they had. No, they had
to use physical firepower and lower level magicks to force the creatures
back... THEN they could unleash their more potent attacks.
As he paused to catch his breath, Red glanced back at Sephiroth, who
stood on the platform at the rear of the lab, Masamune still in hand and
still stark naked. He look almost bored, but Red was certain the
ex-Shinra general was not missing a single detail of the ensuing battle.
(He's not just watching the monsters, but he's also observing us.
He's analyzing our fighting styles... identifying our strengths and
weaknesses. We can't afford to underestimate Sephiroth's combat and
tactical skill.)
(And despite our numbers, we're at a disadvantage. We HAVE to win.
On the other hand, Sephiroth merely has to avoid losing. If he escapes,
we still lose.)
The beast frowned. (But will it come to mortal combat? Somehow, I
don't think so. This isn't the same Sephiroth we confronted before....)
At every previous encounter, Sephiroth's presence had felt repulsive
and overwhelmingly wrong to Red, almost like the lingering stench of
rotting flesh. But the impression he got from this particular
silver-haired man was very, very different. Unlike the sickening,
unclean sensations of before, this Sephiroth reminded Red of a mountain
stream -- almost brutally cold, tremendously powerful, and yet
somehow... clean.
---------------------------
Elena was gasping for breath when Reno finally pulled her out of the
front-lines. The female Turk was too tired to protest as Cait Sith and
his Mog took her place.
"Where are... all these... things coming from!?"
Reno shrugged as he kept a wary eye for stray monsters. "Who knows?
Hojo's probably got a cute little factory that's been chugging out the
friggin' things for god knows how long."
"I meant to ask you... are you okay? I mean, Hojo didn't...."
Elena's voice trailed off and she made a vague gesture as she gave Reno
a worried look.
"No, he didn't do anything to me." The red-head gave her a twisted
grin. "Not for lack of interest, though. He came fucking close to
turning me into one of his damn experiments. Fortunately, Hojo had more
important things on that half-baked brain of his. And after he grabbed
Cloud...." He shrugged.
Tifa had just finished healing Cloud's physical injuries and
clearing up the residual damage from Hojo's poisonous gas. Hearing
Reno's comments, she turned and called out, "Well, I've done what I can
for him. But it's the stuff I can't see that really worries me. Reno,
what happened to Cloud after he was brought here?"
An oddly hesitant look appeared on Reno's face.
"Well... I...."
Before Tifa could press the Turk for answers, a sudden yell from
Rude caused Reno to dash off to his friend's aid. Tifa was forced to
settle for glaring furiously at Sephiroth, who calmly watched the
battle, apparently oblivious to the fact that he had his sword and
nothing else.
------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-9: SURVEYING THE TERRAIN
------------------------------------------------------
As he carefully watched the ongoing fight, Sephiroth also took the
opportunity to identify and sort out the combatants. To his surprise,
he realized that he recognized a fair number of them. He had instantly
identified Scarlet, along with Reno and Rude of the Turks. The blond
woman in the blue suit was most likely a Turk as well. It took him a
moment or two to identify the man expertly wielding that shimmering,
oversized spear as Captain Highwind.
Sephiroth's eyes focused on the 'XIII' tattoo on the red beast's
flank. The marking was all too familiar. He had seen similar tattoos
on Hojo's other experimental subjects. And from what he observed, the
creature was obviously sentient. In fact, it spoke and behaved more
intelligently than some of the other members in the party.
He then allowed his gaze to drift toward the Wutai girl who was
watching his every move. Something about her face was familiar, but he
was quite sure he had never actually met the young girl before.
Sephiroth knew or recognized many of them, but there were also
others who were completely unfamiliar to him -- the large black man with
the gun grafted on his hand, the dark man in the reddish cape and the
disturbing aura, the ridiculous looking little cat on top of an
blatantly artificial stuffed Mog....
It was a motley, oddly assorted group. The pieces didn't quite seem
to fit together. Scarlet, the Turks, and Highwind were all Shinra
personnel, but they were clearly not working together. In fact, the
Turks and Highwind were nearly as suspicious of Scarlet as they were of
him. And there was something else that united this strange crew.
They feared and/or hated him.
It was nothing new. He was used to it. It was just another thing
to be noted and put aside... but not forgotten.
Never forgotten.
However, the sheer degree of fear and loathing he sensed from many
of these people WAS unusual. And the most intense feeling came from the
young, dark-haired woman hovering over Strife.
That was another troubling puzzle.
(He's matured. I remember him as a teenager, but now he's a young
man. And as for her....) Sephiroth remembered seeing the picture of a
dark-haired teenage girl in the briefing file for the Nibelheim mission.
But just like Strife, Tifa Lockheart was now a young adult, probably in
her early twenties.
(If these two people ARE Strife and Lockheart, then at least five
years have elapsed since my last clear memory.) He could think of
several possible explanations, most of them disturbing and nearly all of
them involving Hojo in some highly unpleasant manner.
Sephiroth turned his attention to a more solvable problem --
clothes. After years of playing lab rat, he had lost most of his
body-shyness. However, he certainly didn't enjoy being naked -- people
always assumed that a naked person was weak and vulnerable, even if it
wasn't true. Coolly ignoring Yuffie, Sephiroth quickly looked around,
then headed for a familiar-looking pile of black clothes sitting on a
nearby counter.
"Where the hell do you think you're going!?" she yelled.
"I'm going to find something to wear." He calmly stared at her.
"Do you have a problem with that?"
Yuffie took a quick look around, but all her friends were busy
either fighting or healing themselves. Scarlet was busy typing
something at a computer workstation.
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and said, "Well?"
The ninja girl snarled, "Fine. You do that. Just watch yourself.
One wrong move and you're toast!" She neatly flipped Conformer and
brought it up to a ready position.
Sephiroth didn't make the mistake of underestimating the Wutai girl.
She might have been young and cocky, but the easy, confident way she
handled her weapon told him that she was an expert fighter. The large
number of materia slots on the over-sized throwing star also told him
that it was no ordinary weapon.
Somehow it didn't surprise him in the least to realize that the
clothes on the counter were a perfect fit. Black pants, gloves, boots,
trenchcoat, shoulder armor... the whole ensemble. As he slipped it on,
an old memory resurfaced....
>----->----->----->
In the rattling troop carrier as it slowly drove through the
mountains to Nibelheim, Sephiroth watched Zack doing a steady series of
squats. One of the troopers was sullenly hunched in his seat, looking
nauseated and ill.
(My instincts were right. Strife's turned out to be nothing but
trouble. And he gets motion-sick as well. Useless fool.)
Turning back to Zack, he said, "How's the leg?"
"It's fine. Just a little tight from all that sitting."
"Maybe you should have listened to Savois and remained in Midgar for
some more observation."
"I don't know why. The wound wasn't that bad," Zack cheerily
replied.
"She informed me that the creature that bit you was probably highly
venomous, especially after its exposure to Mako."
With a casual shrug, Zack said, "I'm feeling okay." He then glanced
at Sephiroth. "You don't like her much, do you?"
"No, I don't. But she's very good at her job. That's all I care
about." He didn't have to say that the distaste was mutual. Zack was
too sharp not to notice that.
His friend grinned. "She can be quite charming once you get her out
of the lab."
"If you say so. I'm not particularly interested in finding out for
myself."
Zack was about to reply when a loud bang rocked the truck.
<-----<-----<-----<
Sephiroth's thoughts may have been racing, but no sign of
uncertainty or confusion appeared on his face. He could not afford to
show the slightest weakness in the eyes of these obviously hostile
people. He was fairly certain that he could handle them in groups of
three or four, but not all of them at once. And he had no doubts that
they would gang up on him at the slightest provocation.
He noted that the Turks were fighting with their usual competence,
then his gaze moved on to the other members of the group. They might
have been an odd assortment, but they were good. Very good. Not only
were powerful and experienced, but like the Turks, they knew how to
fight together, how to compensate for individual weak points, and make
the most of their strong points.
He frowned slightly. Highwind appeared to be the nominal leader.
The pilot undoubtedly had leadership ability of a rough sort, but the
way this group fought together had an oddly well-honed edge to it.
Someone with experience had taken the time and effort to forge these
people into an unified team.
At that moment, he would have given a great deal for Zack's
supportive presence. Someone to watch his back.... That led
Sephiroth's thoughts back to the troublesome question that he had been
avoiding.
Where was Zack?
His friend was alive. He sensed that with absolute certainty, just
as he knew that he was holding the real Masamune. It was said that good
leaders had a certain 'feel' for their men. He had never known what
that had meant until he met Zack. And in the years that followed, he
had come to rely on his friend's steady and reliable presence.
But there was also something very wrong. The 'feeling' he got from
Zack was strangely weak. It was muddled, unclear... tainted, almost.
Even worse, Sephiroth had absolutely no idea about Zack's current
physical condition or location. That was unusual, but he wasn't sure
whether the problem was with him or with Zack.
Compounding Sephiroth's uneasiness was the feeling that his body was
somehow too small for him. It was an awkward 'fit', like a new uniform
never before worn. His body worked perfectly, but it didn't feel quite
comfortable... The sensation was fading, but it was just another
disturbing thing among all the others confronting him.
Sephiroth glanced back to Strife. Strife was the key. He had a
great many questions and it was clear that Strife had at least some of
the answers. He would get his answers out of the young man, one way or
another.
The little information Sephiroth had on Cloud Strife did not impress
him. He could tolerate a certain degree of arrogance and attitude in
talented subordinates, but Strife's performance could only be
categorized as barely adequate at best. Personally, Sephiroth would
have bounced that teenager out of Shinra and back into the slums long
ago, but the regular army was apparently less discriminating.
(So when and how did a bumbler like Cloud Strife manage to become a
SOLDIER? And what is he doing with Zack's gear?)
The uncanny similarity in Cloud's current style of dress and Zack's
did not escape Sephiroth's notice, either.
---------------------------
Tifa shivered and edged protectively closer to Cloud when she
noticed Sephiroth's intense gaze lingering on the unconscious man
protectively cradled in her arms.
(What the hell does he want now? What is Sephiroth up to?)
------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-10: BRIEF RESPITE
------------------------------------------------------
They gradually managed to force Hojo's army away from the lab and
down the hallway. It wasn't easy. They sweated and bled for every foot
of distance they gained.
As they pushed the creatures back to the intersection at the end of
the hall, Red readied himself. He had to time the spell perfectly or
risk toasting his comrades.
"NOW!" he roared. Everyone dove for cover.
There was a flash of incandescent green and the whole building shook
as the Ultima spell roared through the hallways, followed by the rumble
of cascading rubble.
His sensitive ears ringing from the confined explosion, Red shrugged
off a fallen light fixture and took a cautious peek into the ruins of
the hallway.
Cid crawled out from under a counter and muttered, "Well, did it
work?"
"I think so. Even if it doesn't stop them permanently, we've bought
ourselves some time."
"Gotcha. Yo, Scarlet, get your butt over here!"
She gave Cid an infuriated glare, but she didn't argue. Being an
extremely practical woman -- especially when her own survival was
concerned -- Scarlet knew this wasn't the time to start a fight with her
rescuers. But when they got out of this hellish mess though....
(Just you wait, Highwind!)
As everyone dusted themselves off, they turned to deal with their
other big problem.
Sephiroth.
---------------------------
The sound of the bone-jarring explosion apparently was enough to
bring Cloud back to consciousness. As he slowly opened his eyes, Tifa
held her breath. For a long moment, he stared blankly at her. She then
nearly cried in sheer relief as she saw recognition dawning in those
beautiful, sky blue eyes of his.
(He... he seems to be okay!)
But a nasty voice in the back of Tifa's head snidely wondered
whether she had any way of knowing IF there was something wrong with him
or not. After all, hadn't Sephiroth manipulated Cloud like a puppet
right under her nose? She hadn't noticed then.
Why should she notice now?
(No. If I believe that, then Sephiroth's already won.)
She shoved those thoughts aside and gave Cloud a shaky smile.
---------------------------
As he slowly awoke, Cloud gradually realized that he was feeling
better than he had in a very long time. The searing pain that he had
endured was finally gone. And in a weird way, his mind was both clearer
AND more muddled than he could ever remember.
Feeling a pair of arms gently supporting him, he looked up into the
face of a beautiful, dark-haired woman. She stared down at him, her
eyes glittering brightly. For a brief instant, a variety of fierce,
contradictory emotions sloshed wildly around in his brain before
subsiding.
"Cloud?"
"Tifa...?" he whispered.
"Are you... are you okay?" She gazed into his eyes as if searching
for something.
With a sigh of relief, he murmured, "Yeah."
Cloud suddenly felt Tifa's arms tighten around him. As her
shoulders shook, she whispered harshly, "God, I thought.... When Hojo
grabbed you.... I'm so sorry...."
Cloud blinked in bewilderment at Tifa's sudden and quite
uncharacteristic display of emotion, then said in a soothing voice,
"Hey, it's okay. I'm fine. Really I am."
"Are you sure, Cloud?"
A faint grin flashed across his face. "Well... I can truthfully say
that I'm feeling better than I was before."
She gave him a weak smile in return.
"I'm so sorry...."
He stared up at her in confusion. "Sorry about what?"
"Sorry about... about fighting you.... about not trusting you....
If I hadn't been...."
Cloud shook his head and said firmly, "Tifa, it's not your fault.
Hojo's creatures' probably would have caught us no matter what. His
creatures had probably been following us around for the last several
days, just waiting for the right moment to ambush us. And it was
partially my fault for not noticing sooner. I'm just glad I managed to
get you out of the way."
Before the conversation could continue, a cold, sharp man's voice
made Cloud sit bolt upright.
"No...," he whispered. "Damn it, I didn't manage to...." Cloud
glanced quickly at Tifa. "What's going on? What's HE still doing
here?"
Tifa glared across the room at Sephiroth. "We got to the lab just
in time to see you pass out practically at Sephiroth's feet. While we
were trying to figure out how to get you out of the way, a horde of
Hojo's monsters attacked us from behind."
Cloud grimaced and he involuntarily rubbed at his stomach at the
reminder.
"I can't believe I was carrying around a piece of him all this
time...," he whispered in a distant voice.
Tifa nodded grimly. "Yeah. Our best guess is that Dr. Roissy was
just using you as a temporary hiding place, but then you and Zack
escaped...."
Cloud flinched slightly at the mention of Zack's name. Tifa
squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and continued, "There were so many
monsters, we couldn't spare anyone to finish off Sephiroth as well. We
managed to drive the creatures back, then Red blasted the hallway down
on their heads. But the rubble won't keep them back forever."
She scowled angrily as she watched Cid and the others confronting
Sephiroth. "I don't know why they're even bothering to talk to him.
He's a monster. We should be getting rid of him while we still have the
chance! There's no way we can trust him!"
Cloud stared at Sephiroth with tense concentration, then he
murmured, "We may not have a choice."
"What!?" Tifa reared back and stared at him anxiously. "Cloud, are
you sure you're feeling...."
He gave her a grim look. "Our problems have only just started.
Resurrecting Sephiroth was only one part of Hojo's grand scheme. And if
he has as much success as he did in reconstructing Sephiroth, we're in
really serious trouble." As Tifa opened her mouth, Cloud shook his head
and slowly pulled himself to his feet. "I'll explain later."
Cloud glanced at the tall, silver-haired man coolly facing down his
friends and couldn't suppress a shiver. It wasn't exactly fear, but
rather a complex tangle of emotions that he couldn't begin to
understand. It took every bit of discipline and control that he had
learned in SOLDIER, but he managed to shove all his worries and
uncertainties aside -- for the moment. He would have to deal with
Sephiroth and his own feelings later when there was time.
(Hold it.... Learned in SOLDIER? Damn it! There I go again. I was
never in SOLDIER. It was Zack who was the SOLDIER, first class. Not
me....)
Cloud shook his head slightly. He couldn't afford to let his
attention wander. Right now, his other friends needed him and he wasn't
about to fail them. No matter what his 'feelings' toward Sephiroth
were, he would not betray his friends... not like before. No, this
time, he would do everything it took to get them all out of this mess.
And if that meant working with Sephiroth, that's what he'd do.
Tifa stepped next to Cloud. "Are you... all right? You've really
taken a beating and you're not nearly a hundred percent...." Her voice
trailed off uncertainly.
Cloud closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead wearily. "Tifa, right
now, I'm focusing on just getting all of us out of this situation. If
I'm going to have a nervous breakdown, I'll have it AFTERwards."
Tifa did not look the least bit reassured by Cloud's words, as he
took a deep breath and headed toward his nemesis.
------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-11: RENEWED ACQUAINTANCES
------------------------------------------------------
When he noticed that Sephiroth was now dressed in his familiar black
clothing, Barret bellowed at Yuffie, "Girl, you were supposed to watch
him!"
"I was, you jerk! You said to make sure he didn't go anything
suspicious, okay? All he did was get dressed." She stuck out her
tongue at the big black man.
Reno sarcastically muttered, "I'm surprised you let him cover
himself up. After all, you could barely peel your eyes off of MY butt."
Yuffie shuddered and yelled, "Ewww! That's completely different,
Reno! At least you're human!"
Red flicked a glance at Sephiroth. Aside from merely raising a pale
eyebrow, the ex-general did not react visibly to Yuffie's words.
However, the beast thought that it wasn't exactly the most tactful thing
for Yuffie to say at the moment. Comments like that could only make
Sephiroth feel isolated from others.
(If my instincts are right, we have an opportunity here to resolve a
major problem without fighting. Or is that just wistful thinking on my
part? Perhaps, but we certainly don't need to alienate him more than
necessary.)
---------------------------
As he stared at their OTHER enemy, Cid chewed on the remnants of his
cigarette and muttered, "Now what the hell do we do with you?"
"And what makes you think that it's your decision?" Sephiroth coolly
retorted.
"Oh... I'd say that odds of eleven to one might have something to do
with it, bucko."
Sephiroth didn't seem the least bit impressed.
Without taking his eyes of the black-clad man in front of him, the
pilot called out, "Hey Tifa, how the hell is the kid doing?"
"Why don't you ask me yourself?" a familiar voice said behind them.
"Cloud!" exclaimed everyone.
He gave them a lopsided grin as they all spun around to stare at him
with a mixture of surprise and relief.
With his usual bluntness, Barret muttered, "Well, he looks okay,
anyway."
As Cloud approached, Red was fascinated by what he saw in Cloud's
eyes. Suspicion... yes. Tension... yes. But there was a curious lack
of hatred or anger. Unlike Tifa, Cloud didn't seem ready to tear his
archenemy limb from limb.
Sephiroth gave Cloud a cool stare, then said, "Strife...."
Cloud's glowing blue eyes abruptly narrowed as he snapped, "Don't
call me that. The name's Cloud." His voice was low, but adamant.
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the harsh words. In a sardonic voice
he said, "That's quite an attitude change for you. You were extremely
insistent that everyone call you 'Strife' when we last met."
"When we last met....?" Cloud replied, his look of suspicion
intensifying.
Sephiroth smiled coldly. "On the truck to Nibelheim. Or have you
forgotten? You nearly got into a fist-fight with the other troopers
when they refused to call you by your last name. If it wasn't for the
fact that you ended up getting hopelessly motion-sick...."
Cloud's face went strangely still and distant, as if searching for
elusive memories, then he spoke in a soft, almost empty voice.
"I was a different person back then."
Red noticed Cait Sith shudder faintly and wondered why Cloud's words
should bother the little cat -- or rather, why they should bother Reeve
so badly.
--------------------------------------------
[continued in PART 7-12]
--------------------------------------------
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